Dave, there is a guy up here close to me that just received a Hagn. He's pretty old so apparently they pushed pretty hard to get his out. It was ordered this January.

Anyway, I spent some time looking at his and visiting about traveling with a rifle and he has a unique way of doing it with a single shot. He removes the butt stock and puts the rifle in a take-down shotgun case inside of a duffle bag and then he stuffs clothes around the take down case.

The way he does the take down is to replace the Ruger type draw bolt that Hagn uses with a Perazzi which has a 5mm hex head. He has a long shanked screw driver with the 5mm on the end and the butt pad has a slit that is over the draw bolt hole. Slip the 5mm through the slit and dismount the butt stock without removing the pad. This guy also has a dowel with a hole in it inserted into the drawbolt hole to retain the 5mm hex and its washer and to guide the 5mm screw driver. Ralf built an aluminum one for this guys Hagn. This is simpler to draw than to explain but it is a real neat set-up.

His point was that even though the duffle is marked with the firearm tag from the airline it is much less eye catching than a normal rifle case and you've got your clothes to help cusion the rifle. With the butt dismounted damage is less likely because just like you said the grip seems to be the most fragile area.

I'm going to calll Ralf when I get my confirmation as well. My Hagn is going to have some modest engraving done by a local guy that Rlaf uses for basic work. Just enough to dress it appropriately. The rest of the rifle is going to be a straight forward working rifle. No ebony tip and well figured but strong Turkish walnut. I guess sort of a best quailty working rifle.

I am really looking forward to it.

Josh